System and method publishing ad hoc offer messages and anonymous geographic proximity and category searches

Abstract

An Internet-based system and method, allowing vendors to publish and transmit ad hoc offer messages that targets consumers with exceptional efficiency, and further allowing consumers to anonymously search such published offer messages based on geographic proximity and desired subject category, includes a vendor computer device, a system server operatively connected to the vendor computer device via a network, and a consumer computer device operatively connected to the system server via the network, where the consumer selects the search distance from the consumer's location, and one or more desired subject categories to be searched for searching a compilation of published offer messages hosted on the system server.

1 . A method providing ad hoc offer messages and anonymous geographic proximity and category searches, comprising the steps of:
 a geographically located vendor, via a vendor computer device, preparing an offer message package by i) inputting an offer message describing an offer of a product or service being made by the vendor, ii) placing the offer message within an appropriate subject category by selecting one subject category, from a selection of plural subject categories, that describes the product or service being offered by the vendor, iii) selecting a time period for publishing the offer message, iv) selecting a publish time for beginning the publishing of the offer message, the selected publish time being one of a) immediately and b) a specific time at which the offer message will be published, and v) executing a send command that transmits the offer message package to a system server, the system server operatively connected to the vendor computer device via a communication network, the offer message package comprising the offer message, the selected subject category, the selected time period for publishing the offer message, and the publish time for beginning the publishing of the offer message;   the system server receiving, via the network, the offer message package sent from the vendor computer device and, beginning at the selected publish time and for the selected time period, adding the offer message of the received offer message package to a compilation of published offer messages hosted on the system server, the system server removing the offer message from the compilation of published offer messages upon expiration of the selected time period;   a consumer, via a consumer computer device operatively connected to the system server via the network, i) selecting a search distance from a group of search distances, and ii) selecting, a desired subject category to be searched, from the selection of plural subject categories, that describes a product or a service desired by the consumer, and iii) executing a search command that transmits the selected search distance, the selected desired subject category, and a location of the consumer computer device to the system server;   the system server i) using the selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device to determine a geographic search region, ii) using the selected desired subject category and the determined geographic search region to search the compilation of published offer messages hosted on the system server for a set of published offer messages that satisfies the determined geographic search region and the selected subject category, and iii) transmitting the set of published offer messages that satisfies the determined geographic search region and the selected desired subject category to the consumer computer device; and   displaying, on the consumer computer device, the transmitted set of published offer messages that satisfies the determined geographic search region and the selected desired subject category.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein,
 the vendor computer device is any of a smart phone, an network-connected tablet, or a network-connected personal computer, and   the consumer computer device is another smart phone, network-connected tablet, or network-connected personal computer.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the consumer selects the search distance from a group of search distances comprising ¼ mile, ½ mile, 1 mile, 5 miles, 50 miles, and 100 miles. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the consumer selects the search distance from the group of search distances including the consumer inputting an ad hoc distance. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subject category is selected from a group comprising restaurants, cinemas, clothing stores, hotels, bakeries, and supermarkets. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in said step of the consumer selecting the desired subject category to be searched from the selection of plural subject categories, the consumer selects plural desired subject categories to be searched. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected publish time of the offer message is immediate upon transmitting the offer message package to the system server. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected publish time of the offer message is at i) a specified future time, or ii) a specified future date and time. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising the further steps of:
 the vendor, via the vendor computer device, edits the published message located within the compilation of published offer messages hosted on the system server to change any feature of the published offer message to thereby form an updated offer message; and   the system server sending the consumer the updated message offer as a refresh update.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein when the vendor removes the received offer message from the compilation of published offer messages, the removed offer message is immediately deleted from the consumer device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the vendor, via the vendor computer device, selecting a offer message package, having a future publish time, to be deleted, and transmitting a delete message to the server identifying the offer message to be deleted, and   whereupon the server, upon receiving the delete message transmitted from the vendor computer device, removes the offer message to be deleted, from the system server.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising the further step of the consumer deleting individual published offer messages from the consumer computer device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location of the consumer computer device is determined automatically by retrieving location information from a geolocation device in connection with the consumer computer device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the geolocation device is a global positioning satellite (GPS) device incorporated with the consumer computer device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location of the consumer computer device is determined manually by consumer input in the consumer computer device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the published message offers from the vendor, sent by the system server, to the consumers includes at least one of pictures, drawings, photos, links and audio attachments. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable code assembled as a computer program that, upon execution on a computer server, causes the computer server to perform a method of publishing and transmitting ad hoc offer messages and anonymous geographic proximity and category searches, as recited in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable code assembled as a computer program that, upon execution on a network-connected computer server, causes the computer server to perform a method of publishing and transmitting ad hoc offer messages and anonymous geographic proximity and category searches, the method comprising the steps of:
 making available one or more ports on one or more network interfaces of the computer server operatively connected to one or more networks for receiving communications from i) a network-connected vendor computer device of a geographically located vendor and ii) a network-connected consumer computer device;   receiving from the vendor computer device, via any of the one or more networks, an offer message package comprising an offer message, a selected subject category that describes a product or service being offered by the vendor, a selected time period for publishing the offer message, and a publish time for beginning the publishing of the offer message, the selected publish time being one of a) immediately and b) a specific time at which the offer message will be published;   beginning at the selected publish time and for the selected time period, adding the offer message of the received offer message package to a compilation of published offer messages hosted on the computer server;   removing the offer message from the compilation of published offer messages upon expiration of the selected time period;   receiving from the consumer computer device, via any of the one or more networks, a search command that includes a consumer-selected search distance, one or more consumer-selected desired subject categories, and a location of the consumer computer device;   using the consumer-selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device to determine a geographic search region;   using the consumer-selected desired subject category or categories and the determined geographic search region to search the compilation of published offer messages hosted on the server for a set of published offer messages that satisfies the determined geographic search region and the selected subject category or categories; and   transmitting the set of published offer messages that satisfies the determined geographic search region and the selected desired subject category to the consumer computer device to be displayed on the consumer computer device.